Ments



(No Model.)

PQOLARK v Process of Gleaning Filtering Beds. No. 243,212. Patented June 21,1881.

N, PETERs PhulbL'flhogmphqr. Washingun. D4 (1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PATRICK CLARK, OF RAHWAY, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT AND MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO THE NEWARK FILTERING COMPANY, OF NEIVARK, N. J.

PROCESS OF-CLEANING FlLTERlNG-BEDS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 243,212, dated June 21, 1881.

Application filed October 18, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, PATRICK CLARK, of Bahway, in the county of Union and State of New Jersey, haveinventeda new and usefulImprovement in Processes of Cleaning Filtering- Beds, 850., of which the following is a specification, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings.

The invention relates to a process of cleaning or washing filtering-beds, and to an improved apparatus for accomplishing that result.

The novelty of the process consists in the employment of jets of water for the purpose of agitating a bed of sand or other suitable granular material which forms the upper part of the filter-bed. By this means the silt and other impurities which collect upon the filterbed are separated from the sand, and, being of inferior specific gravity, rise above the filterbed, and are removed preferably by a natural current of water, in which, when practicable, the apparatus will be immersed.

The novelty of my improved apparatus con- 2 5 sists in providing a hollow horizontal arm, the ends of which are closed, which is constructed with apertures uponits lower side and arranged to travel immediately above the layer of sand thatforms the upperpart of the filter-bed. The 3 arm is centrally connected to turn on a pipe, through which water may be forced into it and through the apertures upon its lower side. The arm is also provided with an aperture at one end, or with two apertures, one near each end, on opposite sides and in the same hori zontal plane, which serve to rotate the arm when the water is forced into it. When the arm is actuated the numerous jets of water are moved over the bed of sand, agitating it 0 in the most efi'ectual manner. The construction of my improved apparatus is fully set forth in the detailed description hereinafter presented.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a Vertical longitudinal section, and Fig. 2 a plan or top view, of an apparatus embodying and illustrating my invention.

A indicates a wall on the river-bank; B, a square-shaped receptacleimmersed in the bed of the river. The receptacle will be open at the top, so that it may be always full of water. As a precaution, it may be covered with a wire screen to protect it from freshets; but it will not be necessary to use the screen in all cases.

I regard this screen, however, as an important 3 5 feature, and have found it exceptionally effective in preventing any undue disturbance of the upper surface of the filter-bed even when the stream has been greatly swollen.

Below the receptacle is the pipe 0, by means of which the filtered water is'conveyed through the city.

Upon a level with the upper edge of the pipe C the receptacle B is supplied with a perforated floor or platform, D, of any suitable ma- 6 terial, which will preferably be covered with galvanized-iron wire-cloth, say No.18; or, in lieu of this, the perforations in the floor may be connected by grooves, the purpose of the wire-cloth being to so distribute the water that all of the perforations will be supplied as nearly simultaneously as possible.

. Over the platform D, separated therefrom by a small space and appropriately supported,

is a covering of fine brass wire-cloth, E, (of 7 about, say, sixteen hundred meshes to the square inch,) which, in addition to its functions as part of the filter-bed, serves to limit the action of the jets of water.

Along the longitudinal center of the wirecloth E is placed a strip of galvanized iron, F, and an appropriate stop is supplied, whereby the revolving pipe or washer L is caused to rest above the strip, to prevent denuding the brass wire of sand where the washer stops.

Upon the wire-cloth E and strip F is placed a layer of beach-sand, G, of from about, say, three to sixinches in thickness,which completes the filtering-bed.

It is obvious that the water in the receptacle B will percolate through the sand G, the wirecloth E, and perforated floor D, and be cleaned thereby, after which it will fall into the pipe 0 and be conveyed away.

For the purpose of freeing the filtering-bed 5' of silt and other matter that settles upon and penetrates it, I have constructed and applied a revolving washer, which consists of the horizontal perforated revolving pipe or arms L L, connected with the pipe H and arranged to turn thereon. The pipe H is connected with a supply or pump, whence it extends to a point centrally below the receptacle B, and is thence carried upward through the floor D, wire-cloth E, strip of galvanized iron F, and sand G, and.

inch and a half-are formed the apertures O.

The outer ends of the pipes L L will be sealed, and near the outer end of one of them, or at the outer ends of both, on opposite sides, an aperture or apertures are out, which serve, when the internal pressure is applied, to create an unbalanced force, whereby the washer is made to revolve.

Itis plain that the construction of the washer admits of many variations and modifications, which will be suggested by the conditions under which it is to be employed.

In the operation of the washer above described, water is directed or forced through the pipe H under strong internal hydraulic pressure-say about forty-five pounds to the square inch-which carries the water upward through the pipe H and into the perforated pipes L L, whence it issues in jets through the apertures O and the apertures P, or both P and Q. The water issuing under pressure through the aperture or apertures last named, the pipes L L revolve around the pipe H, and thus distributethe water through the apertures 0 evenly over the entire surface of the filtering-bed, and will revolve uninterruptedly while the pressureis continued, which may be, of course, applied or cut off at will. The action of the water under pressure issuing in jets from the apertures 0 upon the filtering-bed is to thoroughly agitate the sand and cause the silt and other impurities of lesser specific gravity than the sand to rise above it and be moved away by the current of the stream.

The washing of the filtering-bed, as above described, usually requires from about five to ten minutes, and should be repeated from about every twelve to ninety-six hours, according to the condition of the unfiltered water.

While I contemplate practicing my process by immersing the apparatus in a running stream wherever it is practicable and expedient to do so in removing the obnoxious material, I do not limit myself to the use of a natural current, as it is obvious that the removal may be effected by an artificial stream.

I do not limit my claim to the exact form of washer that I have described 5 nor do I confine myself to the filter-bed, the construction of which I have set forth; neither do I claim to have invented the principle of revolving the pipe L by unneutralized pressure; but

What I claim as my invention is 1. In cleansingfiltering-beds the upper parts of which are composed of sand or other material in granular form, the method of separating from the granular material obnoxious particles of less specific gravity than the granular material, which consists in agitating the latter from above by means of jets of water, and then causing the obnoxious particles which rise above the filter-bed to be conducted off by a current of water, substantially as set forth.

2. In cleansing filtering-beds the upper parts of which are composed of sand or other material in granular form, the method ofseparatin g from the granular material obnoxious particles of less specific gravity than the granular material, which consists in agitating the latter by means of jets of water traveling over the same, and then causing the obnoxious particles which rise above the filter-bed to be removed by a current of water, substantially as set forth.

3. An apparatusfor purifying a filteringbed in which a hollow arm or pipe provided with apertures upon its lower side is actuated horizontally by means of internal hydraulic pressure.

4. An apparatus for purifying a filtering bed, in which an arm or pipe having apertures in its lower side is rotated and water forced through the apertures by internal pressure, the rotation being effected by unbalanced pressure.

5. A filtering apparatus consisting of a filtering-bed composed of the perforated floor D, wire-cloth E, layer of sand G, and the revolving perforated distributing-pipe L, connected with a supply-pipe, substantially as specified.

6. In a filtering apparatus, the distributingpipes L L, supplied with the apertures O and P Q, and connected with a supply-pipe, in combination with a filtering-bed, substantially as set forth.

7. In a filtering apparatus, a bed composed of sand resting upon fine wire-cloth, in combination with the pipes L L, provided with the apertures O and P, and connected with and turning on the pipe H, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that 1 claim the foregoing improvement in processes of cleaning filteringbeds, 850., as above described, I have hereunto set my hand this 15th day of October, 1880.

. PATRICK CLARK.

Witnesses:

WM. Buo. SMITH, PARIS GHALllIERS.

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